UK Remote Sensing Test Site

The home of remote sensor performance verifications

We own and operate the UK’s first IEC compliant Remote Sensing dedicated Test Site. An IEC compliant 90 metre meteorological mast enables performance verification of ground-based remote sensing devices operating vertically, and nacelle-based Lidars operating in slant mode, ensuring full measurement traceability of all remote sensing devices to international standards with reference to class 1A anemometry. The site is open to all remote wind sensing manufacturers, developers, consultancies, research organisations and turbine manufacturers alike.

Using Lidars and Sodars to an agreed traceable verification methodology is not only advantageous to the development and acceptance of the technologies, but this ‘best practice’ proves beneficial to wind farm developers by instilling confidence in the accuracy and precision of measurements from the remote sensing device.

Our met mast is equipped with state of the art instrumentation mounted across a total of seven heights including MEASNET approved (to MEASNET Anemometer Calibration Procedure, Version 2, October 2009) calibrated Thies first class advanced cup anemometers at 20m, 45m, 70m and 91m, a pressure sensor at 6m, temperature and wind direction sensors mounted at 44m and 88m and a Thies 3D sonic anemometer at 88m to provide more advanced measures of inflow and turbulence.

All of our products are subject to an industry approved performance verification process which can include a period of correlations at the UK Remote Sensing Test Site or against a Golden Lidar.

All performance verifications are conducted in line with remote sensing best practice approaches developed within the EU-FP7-Project NORSEWInD by comparing against corresponding Key Performance Indicators and Acceptance Criteria. Systems can be provided with a fully IEC compliant verification certificate showing performance is of the highest standard required for use in finance-grade wind resource assessments. This certificate can be provided by ZX Lidars or DNV GL.